Equipping the next generation of world-changers

When we make a decision in our organizations we tend to follow a somewhat predictable pattern: we identify the problem and diagnose it, we define available alternatives and then examine possible consequences. Then, we make the decision and finally implement it. If we’re really on our game, we’ll take some time later on to revisit…

So far, I’ve suggested that 1) when you make decisions in your organization, those decisions are subjective and specific to your own context, and 2) knowledge – the stuff that drives decisions and also results from them – means something because of the value that is attached to it…knowledge is more than just a series…

Think back to the previous post. We talked about two main ideas: that knowledge in your organization and industry is some new thing you discover in the context of your business, and the idea that the decisions you make in your organization are unavoidably subjective and specific to your own context. Take a minute to…

Think about the last time you learned something. By learned something I don’t mean something trivial like, “I just learned that American car horns beep in the tone of F” (that’s true, by the way.) I mean, when was the last time you and your team sat down and wrestled with some piece of information…

The way we assist developing countries needs to change. The story is told of a severe natural disaster in one of these countries and their resultant need. The quick and typical response from the West was to rally numerous financial and consumer product donations to be shipped directly. One such product was peanut butter, which…

Arrived at the BAM (Business as Mission) Global Congress in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Arrived to a tropical last of 98 degrees and a bit of humidity. We’ll get started today with sessions. About 530 people are here from 41 different countries. I’m expecting to hear a lot of great ideas and to connect with a…

I recently gave a TED Talk in which I shared the notion of “Crucible Experiences.” The text of that talk is below. Why is it that certain people seem to cope well with change while others stumble, again and again? What I want to talk to you about are transitions and how people deal with…

When we make a decision in our organizations, we tend ti follow a somewhat predictable pattern: we identify the problem and then diagnose it, we define available alternatives, and then examine possible consequences. Then, we make the decision and finally implement it. If we’re really on our game, we’ll take some time after the decision…

So far we’ve determined that 1) decisions that are made in your organization are unavoidably subjective and specific to your own context, and 2) knowledge in your industry has meaning only as it is created through the important lens of business culture (as opposed to simply business systems). This leads us to our third assumption:…

Recall the first assumption of a knowledge creation paradigm in your organization and industry: all decisions that are made in your organization are unavoidably subjective and specific to your own context. Read the last post for a refresher on this assumption. Let’s now move onto the second assumption: knowledge in your industry has no meaning…

As a decision-maker, you don’t discover knowledge in your organization and industry – you create knowledge. With this paradigm in mind, three assumptions can be made. The first assumption is this: all decisions that are made in your organization are unavoidably subjective and specific to your own context. What this means is that you can’t…

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We are a global community, and like all communities have to follow some rules so that we can live together. These rules must be - and must be seen to be - fair and just, must pay due attention to the poor as well as the powerful, must reflect a basic sense of decency and social justice. In today's world, those rules have to be arrived at through democratic processes; the rules under which the governing bodies and authorities must ensure that they will heed and respond to the desires and needs of all those affected by policies and decisions made in distant places. ~ Joseph E. Stiglitz